Joelinton is expected to return to the Newcastle United squad for the first time this season when the team heads to Coventry City on Monday night. The Brazilian has not played a competitive game under Matthias Jaissle after picking up a thigh injury just before the season-opener against Liverpool in August, but the three-week international break has given him and Dan Burn time to fully recover.
Joelinton has been a pivotal player at St James' Park since Eddie Howe moved him into a midfield role. He was part of a feared three-man midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, but now faces the challenge of adapting to a new-look formation and new team-mates.
Jaissle's system and Joelinton's fit
Jaissle favours a two-man central midfield with an attacking No 10, and while he insisted this week that the system is more flexible than that, the question is whether Joelinton suits the roles currently available. Jaissle is in no doubt that Joelinton will play a big role, saying: "He has on the ball and out of possession qualities when I just think about how much he can deliver and contribute to the team on the pitch."
"But as well off the pitch he is a true leader and probably in the training session you joined last week you could hear it already. He is communicative, he is a leader. His body language shows that and you need also warriors in the team so we are really happy to have him back."
However, he may have to settle for a place on the bench at Coventry. Here's what the NUFC writers think about where he fits in long-term.
Lee Ryder: Bench at Coventry, then holding role
Lee Ryder would throw some caution to the wind with Joelinton, simply because no risks need to be taken. For him, the Brazil international starts on the bench at Coventry City. Last season he played as one of two 8s on 35 occasions under Howe, four times as a left winger and just twice as a holding player.
Ryder is intrigued to see how Jaissle deals with his return. Having him back on the field can only be deemed a bonus as he brings physicality, strength, leadership, experience and aggression to the table, not to mention the odd goal. If he's a starter, Ryder sees him, longer-term, replacing Sean Steur and working alongside Lewis Miley or Nico Gonzalez as one of the two holding midfielders.
That's where Joelinton played in his only start under Jaissle when he captained the team in a 3-1 loss at Murrayfield against Everton. The system would have to settle down again, and it would be harsh on Steur, but handing Joelinton the vice-captaincy and a place in the leadership team would be puzzling. Unless Jaissle is planning on changing formation, Joelinton seems set to play as defensive midfielder again.
Sean McCormick: Gradual return from the bench
Sean McCormick thinks Joelinton is fantastic and has been fantastic for Newcastle but has doubts over his suitability for Jaissle's system. He feels his qualities make him excellent in a midfield three but is not quite so sure they suit being in a midfield two.
Jaissle clearly rates those qualities and loves the leadership he has shown since he came into the building. The fact he has made him his vice-captain suggests he sees a big role for him, so maybe he will get the chance sooner rather than later to prove his worth in that midfield base. The problem is Jaissle has six recognised midfielders for those two positions, and the conundrum would be who drops out of the side for Joelinton to come in.
Lewis Miley and Nico Gonzalez have been his preferred pair while Sean Steur has been fantastic, too, and Jacob Ramsey has performed when given his opportunities. Joelinton could also theoretically play further forward as a 10, but he has competition with Yoane Wissa and Joe Willock there, too, while he could also play on the left-hand side, but the combination of Harvey Barnes and Lewis Hall isn't going to be broken up any time soon. McCormick feels Joelinton's return to the fold will be gradual, with opportunities from the bench, and he will have to be patient to regain his place in the starting XI.
Ross Gregory: A left-field centre-half idea
Ross Gregory offers a left-field thought: is Joelinton better suited to playing centre-half in Jaissle's system? He agrees with everything else that has been said in the piece. The big Brazilian just doesn't seem to suit that holding role in a double midfield pivot. It doesn't suit his style - he can provide the physicality (much needed by the way) and experience, but his forward-passing ability and ball manipulation isn't as strong as other options in that position.
In a Jaissle system that wants pacy forwards across the front four, where does that leave him? He wouldn't be the first striker to end up at centre-half. Joelinton has already shown his versatility, and Gregory wonders whether he could do a job in the centre of defence. He can eat up ground on the cover, can head and tackle, and his reading of the game is very good. With Jaissle wanting defenders pressing high, perhaps another reinvention for the 29-year-old could be on the cards.
Stuart Jamieson: An enforcer alongside Nico Gonzalez
Stuart Jamieson calls this a difficult one. On one hand, Joelinton is an important player for Newcastle and offers a physical presence on the pitch that perhaps only Dan Burn can match. With the young midfield Jaissle inherited, it seems logical that he would be the ideal player to bring some steel in the engine room. On the other hand, he doesn't really fit into United's new style under the German.
There are doubts over whether he's suited to a No 6 role, and playing him as a No 10 would mean a more attack-minded player drops out. The Brazilian is a powerful asset, but does he meet the requirements for the pacy counter-attack Jaissle favours? Joelinton clearly has impressed the new United head coach or he wouldn't have made him vice-captain, which suggests he does have a role earmarked.
Forget about Coventry, although it will be great to see him on the bench, but Jamieson envisages him as something of an enforcer alongside Nico Gonzalez, with someone like Sean Steur, Lewis Miley or Jacob Ramsey employed as a more attacking No 10. He'll have to cut down on his bookings though - it's no use picking up a yellow card early on and then walking a tightrope in that role.
